Big Cat Roundup 9

Reports of big cat sightings received by BCIB recently

England

Devon
Loddeswell – earlier this week a local man saw a big black cat walking up his driveway. When it heard him it ran off into fields nearby. Then on 31st October another local saw the cat in the fields beside the river. (Verbal report)

Dorset
Bournemouth airport – at 12.30 a.m. on 1st November, a local woman reported seeing a big black cat on the airport perimeter at the Matchams Lane area. Independent witnesses confirmed that there have been numerous sightings of such a cat recently, especially in the area of heathland nearby. (Email report to BCIB researcher)

Verwood – at 10pm on 22nd October, a local woman driving home saw a large cat, bigger than a fox, cross the road in front of her car. She and her passengers agreed it was more like a jungle cat than anything else. (BCIB report form)

Leicestershire
Wing – a local couple were driving down a single track lane towards Lyndon at 40 minutes past midnight on 8th October, saw a big black cat, around 30 inches tall, just a few metres ahead of the car, disappearing into a hedgerow. (BCIB report form)

Lincolnshire
Bayford Green – on 28th October at 4.30 pm two sisters were doing their homework when they saw a very large black cat in a nearby field. They watched the cat, which stood around a meter high, for some 20 minutes. (BCIB report form)

Shropshire
Bridgnorth area – following the sighting of a large panther-like cat near Billingsley recently (see Big Cat Roundup 8), several more locals have come forward with stories of the same, or different, big cats in the area.
Read more at Bridgnorth Journal

Suffolk
Eye – A local man going home from work was passing the meadow by the river Dove in Eye when he saw in the meadow a big black cat the size of a Labrador but longer, with a long tail and small head. (Verbal report)

Surrey
Abinger – alerted by the barking of their dog, a couple looked into their garden and saw a large black cat, somewhat smaller than an Alsatian. (BCIB)

Wiltshire
Oaksey – at 8am on 28th October, a local man watched through binoculars as a big black cat, at least four times the size of a domestic black cat, drank from the pond in the field behind his house, then looked straight at him for over a minute.
Read more at Wilts and Gloucester Standard


Scotland

Ayrshire
Dalrymple – at 7am on 29th October, two workers in a van saw a large charcoal-coloured cat cross the road, pause to look at the van and then continue unhurried across the road and into the woods. (BCIB)

CatStats at a Glance

Pather type (black) - 8
Charcoal-coloured - 1
Jungle cat type - 1